West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
UNCOVERING THE SPHINX.
Interesting Things Already Brought to
Light.
London Times.

London Times.
The last occasion on which the
Great Sphinx was cleared down to
the level on which the paws rest was
in honor of the opening of the Suez
Canal, in 1869. The eyer-drifting
sands had, however, reburied it al
most to the throat when Prof. Mas
pero, began again the work of disin-
terment. This work i;,s now been
going on, somewhat intermit-
tently, for more than twelve months,
and is at the present time in active
progress. A tramway has been laid
down from the Sphinx to the edge
of the Pyramid plateau passing
close under the west face OF the
granite building popularity, though
incorrectly, called the temple of the
Sphinx. Along this tramway light
trucks convey the sand to the point
at which their contents are lis
charged, the trucks being loaded by
Arabs of both sexes and all ages,
who carry the sand upon their heads
in large fat baskets, ascending and
descending all day long from eXca-
vations below to the tramway above
and vice versa. The means look
curiously inadequate, but the results
are astonishing. Already the entire
fore part of the great stone monster
is laid bare, and already the huge
chest, the paws, the space between
the paws, the altar in front of them,
and the platform upon which they
rest, are once more open to the light
of day. Nor is this all. Between
the Sphinx and the edge of the Pyra-
mid plateau vast space has also
been cleared, thus bringing to view
a fine flight of steps some forty feet
in width. These steps, which are
described by Pliny, were uncovered
by Caviglia in 1917, but have been
entirely lost to sight for nearly sew
enty years. A second fight of steps
and the remains of two Roman
buildings were also found by Cavig-
liza, and will again be brought to
light if the work continues in this
direction.
To the right of the Sphinx-that
is to say, in the direction of the
granite temple, to the southwark
further excavation is in progress,
the result of which will probably
confirm the surmises Of those who
believe the Sphinx to stand in the
midst of huge artificial amphithe-
ater hewn out of the solid rock.
This gigantic work would, OF course,
be contemporancous with the Sphinx
itself, which Mariette attributed to
the mythic ages; ifnot actually pre-
historic, at all events the oldest
monument in Egypt
From the level of the area below
the great flight of steps (which lead
down, and not up, to the sphinx
one now measures the whole height
of the huge human headed monster,
whose battered countenance stands
out against the cloudless sky one
hundred feet above. The space be-
tween the paws is thirty-five feet
long and ten feet wide. This space
was anciently converted into a small
| sanctuary lined with votive tablets.
The paws of the Sphinx, as they
now appear, are restoration of
Roman date, being cased in compar-
atively small slabs, and to some ex-
tent hollow underneath. The breast
of the Sphinx has likewise been
faced in slabs, apparently in Roman
times; and these slabs have again
been repaired by cutting away the
weathered surface and inserting a
fresh facing.